Buy tramadol online.A relapse prevention plan is a written document that you can share with your support team – yourself, friends, family, and health professionals – to minimize a return to unhealthy behaviors, including drug and/or alcohol use.
Addiction is a chronic disease with relapse rates between 40% and 60%. [1] To prevent relapse it can be helpful to have a plan, recognize when old patterns or triggers come up, and learn how to manage them.
A concrete relapse prevention plan can help prepare the patient for the signs and symptoms that may indicate impending relapse so that the individual can intervene before they use substances again.Buy tramadol online
Relapse is often gradual. Recognizing dangerous behaviors before you pick substances up again can help to prevent a relapse
What Is a Relapse Prevention Plan?
Relapse is common with substance use disorder (SUD). It does not indicate failure, as it is often a natural part of the healing process. A relapse prevention plan helps to prevent a relapse or minimize the consequences of a partial relapse.Buy tramadol online
Relapse generally does not happen overnight. Some researchers consider it to have three distinct phases:[2]
Emotional relapse: The individual is not thinking about using, but isolation, denial, bottling up of emotions, and other negative emotional patterns begin.
Mental relapse: The individual is often torn between wanting to use and not wanting to use. They begin to bargain with themselves and have difficulties recognizing high-risk situations.
Physical relapse: The return to actual use of substances. What to Include in a Relapse Prevention Plan
Each relapse prevention plan will be personal and specific to you, but there are some general things that should be included, such as:
Personal triggers: List exactly what people, places, things, behaviors, actions, emotions, dates, and more might be a trigger for relapse for you.
Coping tools and strategies: Define what tools, strategies, and activities you can do to minimize cravings and prevent relapse. Hobbies, activities, support group meetings, breathing exercises, journaling, or other things you have learned in therapy or counseling sessions can help.Buy tramadol online
Support: Write down where you will turn for help. Make a list of people to call, support group meetings to attend, therapy sessions you can go to, and programs you can turn to for relapse prevention help.
Lifestyle strategies: Think proactively when making a relapse prevention plan. Write down possible lifestyle enhancements, such as ways to stick to a healthy diet and exercise plan, embrace educational opportunities, and try recreational activities that can offer a positive outlet.How to Involve Your Support System
Research suggests that families learn a lot about SUD as they help people they love. They learn about how to get treatment, they determine how to use rescue medications like naloxone, and they become experts at caring for children left behind.[8] These experts are well-qualified to help with your recovery, and they should be part of a relapse prevention plan.Buy tramadol online
Tell your support system that you’re working on a relapse prevention plan, and ask for input. As outsiders, they may help you identify relapse triggers you’ve overlooked. They may also be eager to be contact points as you craft your trigger responses.
When your plan is complete, give your support system a copy of the document. Remind them you’re not asking them to police your behavior. However, they can help you stay accountable. For example, if they notice you’re staying out late every night and avoiding the rules you set about sleep, a gentle reminder could help you get back on track.
Relapse Prevention Plan Template
Everyone’s relapse prevention plan will look different, but here is a form you can fill out to create yours:[3]
Write down the reasons you stopped drinking or using drugs.
List some of the feelings that may trigger you.
For each feeling, list a healthy coping strategy to manage it.
List thoughts that could increase the risk of relapse
Write down behaviors that could lead to relapse
Write down the people you’re most likely to relapse with or around
List five trusted people you can call when you’re feeling cravings or want to relapse
Consider the places you’re most likely to relapse in
List any other triggers or situations that could lead to relapse
List daily life and self-care plans, such as eating nutritious meals and getting enough sleep
Write down 10 ways to cope with drug or alcohol cravings
Write down the specific support services you’ll attend each week, such as meetings and therapy sessions
Make a plan for how you will get to these meetings or sessions and write down when they are in a place you’ll see them
List five consequences of relapse
List five benefits of your recovery program
Write down five short-term goals you can only achieve in recovery
Write down five long-term goals you can only achieve in recoveryRelapse Prevention Models
While each relapse prevention plan is unique, there are several different models that help provide a template. Examples are the Marlatt and Gordon model and the Gorski-CENAPS Model for Recovery and Relapse Prevention.
Marlatt and Gordon Relapse Prevention Model
This model explains how both things that are right in your face, which include high-risk situations, coping skills, and outcome expectancies, as well as factors that are more underlying, like cravings and lifestyle issues, can contribute to relapse.
The model also details how both specific and global strategies can be used to reduce the risk of relapse. By identifying possible high-risk situations that are specific to an individual and designing coping strategies for managing them along with more generalized strategies that include lifestyle balance, relapse can be avoided or the effects reduced.
